Homemade gravy in a pouring jug

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homemade gravy

Let me guess, you are the king of roasting, smoking and grilling. You make some pretty mean side dishes and everyone goes away happy, full and content after one of your barbecues.

You put in a heap of effort on prepping that monster turkey, only to let it all down with an instant gravy. Yeah, it tastes okay, it's quick and no one has ever said they didn't like it.

Of course they haven't, they are there for the feed. They go away thinking that your BBQ game is on point, pity about your gravy.

How to nail your gravy every time

I consider gravy to be the king of condiments.

Do you know of another that can fix a meal? If you have slightly overcooked your meat, slather it in thick homemade gravy and the whole family will be cheering you around the table.

chicken with homemade gravy on a slice of bread
There is no other condiment like gravy that can fix any meal

So you watched the turkey like a hawk, it came out perfect but in doing that, you overcooked the potatoes, pushed the greens way past what they should have been steamed to. Where is that, can I say it now? Condiment of condiments that can save a meal.

A packet version can only do so much, when you cook gravy from scratch you can flavor it any way you like. It will make you an all-round cook.

Let's make some gravy

It's easy, takes barely anytime or prep work so wouldn't you want to make it?

You can peel and chop onions yeah? Pour some water, measure out some stock and wine? Melt butter and use a whisk?

Then you can make this glorious liquid.

Peel and roughly chop up a couple of medium-sized onions.

onion slices in a pan
Slice a couple of onions and place them into a pan

Add these to your oven or smoker under your meat that you are cooking with 2 to 3 cups of hot water.

In the photo below I've placed the onion pan under a chicken on a rotisserie to catch all the juices but you can just place it under a wire frack.

a pan with onions underneath a chicken on a rotisserie
Place the pan with onions under your meat to catch all the juices

Once your meat comes off to rest, take the pan and drippings and transfer the lot to a saucepan over medium to high heat.

Add a couple of cups of chicken stock and a cup of white wine. Whisk away until it starts to simmer, lower the heat and allow the contents to reduce and thicken by about a third.

chicken stock, onions, white wine in a saucepan
Combine pan drippings, chicken stock and wine in a saucepan

Then melt the butter in another saucepan and add the flour, whisking the whole time until it turns a nice nutty brown color.

melted butter and flour in a saucepan
Use a mixture of melted butter and flour to thicken up the gravy

Add this to the gravy mix to help thicken it up.

Taste and add salt and or pepper to season, then strain and serve.

Serving suggestions

As a general rule in my house, I put the meat on everyone's plate then leave the jug of gravy at everyone's reach to put on if wanted.

roasted chicken and a homemade gravy in a sauce pouring jug
Pour the gravy directly on the meat and serve the rest in a jug

There is never any leftover as everyone grabs for the serving jug straight away.

This just brings us back to the statement, the condiment of condiments.

Homemade gravy in a pouring jug

  • 2 medium onions peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cups hot water you may need to add more depending on how long your cook time is
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp AP flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

  • Start by peeling and roughly chopping the onions and placing in a heatproof pan.

  • Add hot water and place under the meat to be roasted.

  • Once the meat is ready, remove the tray and empty contents in the saucepan.

  • Heat over medium to high heat, add stock and wine and bring to a simmer.

  • Once at a simmer, lower heat and reduce contents by about a third.

  • Melt butter in a separate pan and add flour, whisk constantly until a nice nutty color is achieved.

  • Add flour and butter to the gravy mixture, stirring to prevent lumps, until it thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

  • Strain contents into a gravy boat and serve.

Sodium: 345 mg | Calcium: 16 mg | Vitamin C: 3 mg | Vitamin A: 120 IU | Sugar: 3 g | Fiber: 1 g | Potassium: 170 mg | Cholesterol: 12 mg | Calories: 119 kcal | Trans Fat: 1 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Fat: 5 g | Protein: 3 g | Carbohydrates: 9 g | Iron: 1 mg

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